Seaside town bucks the trend with indie retail thriving
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Weston-super-Mare seems to be one town in the UK bucking the national trend, with new shops opening and businesses reporting an increase in trade, according to a report by Bristol Live.
The bike hub has seen local e-bike retailer UFO grow their well-known local business and expand into an additional space and now offers a bike hire scheme for visitors and residents. Popular Bristol based coffee business, Can’t Dance Coffee, has also expanded, bringing its coffee and baked delights to what was previously the Food Court.
Traders in The Sovereign say they have seen an increase in footfall over the past few months - some which has been attributed to the additional 500,000 visitors coming to Weston-super-Mare .
The Sovereign manager Alan Smith said the centre offered a good retail mix.
“Moving away from just mainstream retailers is essential for the continued growth of The Sovereign. Thanks to the support of the local community we can grow and bring more local retailers."
Other new businesses have sprung up in Weston High Street over the last year, including Imagination Fascination play centre, Maxxisave in the former Argos store and the Captain Kandy sweet shop on the High Street. Orchard Meadows has also welcomed some new faces including Vintage Abs clothes shop and Christopher’s Chocolates.
Although Weston does still have several empty shops, retailers said its future is looking good. Weston BID chairman and town centre trader Paul Batts said: “We have a really good selection of independent shops, especially in Grove Village and Orchard Meadows.
“We have also seen new, specialist and unique businesses opening in our areas and in the High Street in some of the smaller units. We are noticing post pandemic that people are more interested in supporting their local independent shops and our independent offering in Weston is getting stronger and stronger, making it a great shopping destination all year round.”